[Marxism] US VP, White House staff boss, most of Congress attend AIPAC dinner

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The most overtly powerful of the foreign policy lobbies sponsored by the US
ruling class, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (also sponsored
publicly by the government of Israel), celebrated its continuing influence
in the wake of the victory of its agents in an espionage case that basically
legitimized the delivery of classified information to Israel. This
represents a longstanding, if illegal, relationship between US imperialism
and its most favored subordinate states.

The judge insisted that passing the information was not a crime unless it
was deliberately intended to harm US National Security -- a reminder that
violators or alleged violators who provide information to non-allied states
will not be given the same green light. The Cuban 5, for instance, who did
no spying on the US government at all but on terrorist planning against Cuba
in the United States, can take no heart from this ruling.

The last paragraph seems like an editorial reminder by the New York Times
that the US ruling class is not united in all things behind AIPAC, but it
sounds rather carping than confident or assertive.
Fred Feldman



AT ANNUAL MEETING, PRO-ISRAEL GROUP REASSERTS CLOUT
By Neil A. Lewis

New York Times
May 5, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/us/politics/05aipac.html


WASHINGTON -- The formidable political strength of the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee, the nation's major pro-Israel lobby, has been on
decidedly intentional display here in the last few days.

But this year, Aipac's annual conference comes after a period fraught with
small anxieties for the group and its supporters.

Just days ago, the Obama administration said it was seeking the dismissal
of charges that two former Aipac analysts had violated an espionage
statute by improperly disseminating national security information.

The case against Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman had raised what many
in the pro-Israel community in the United States regard as an unfair, even
toxic question about whether the loyalty of some American Jews to Israel
matches or exceeds their loyalty to the United States.

Gary Silow, a Philadelphia-area lawyer and Aipac member at the convention,
said he was deeply troubled by the potential for renewed discussion of
what he said was the offensive "dual loyalty" issue. In Mr. Silow's view,
"the fact that they came after Aipac was what was really disturbing."

Like many at the convention, Mr. Silow said he was relieved at the move
for a dismissal.

More than half the members of the House and Senate attended Monday night's
dinner, which featured the group's "roll call" in which the lawmakers all
rise. It is a conscious -- and effective -- effort to demonstrate the
group's influence on Capitol Hill.

Even as the charges were dismissed, the issue of Aipac's role in the
capital's political life surfaced again in recent days with the disclosure
that Representative Jane Harman, Democrat of California, had been
overheard in 2005 on a government wiretap offering to help reduce the
charges. Ms. Harman, who has denied she intervened in the Rosen-Weissman
case, was greeted with sustained applause when she appeared on Sunday
morning.

The site of the conference, the Washington Convention Center, is
conveniently, and symbolically, about equally close to the White House and
the Capitol, the two objects of Aipac's muscular demonstration. Along
with 6,000 delegates, mostly Jewish, leaders of the two branches of
government have been attending the convention to offer praise for Aipac
and support of Israel, both in generally unreserved language.

The roster of scheduled guests from Sunday through the meeting's
conclusion on Tuesday included Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Senator
John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee; Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker who remains an
important Republican voice; and Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of
staff, who has longstanding ties to Israel. The group also heard from the
new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (via satellite), and the
new opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, and the president, Shimon Peres (in
person).

Huge slides of former American presidents were displayed, and there was a
murmur of disapproval when the image of Jimmy Carter appeared. Mr. Carter
brokered the Camp David peace accords but has turned harshly critical of
Israel since leaving office.

Speeches are scrutinized closely at Aipac events. As a presidential
candidate in June 2008, Barack Obama spoke to Aipac to counter whispers in
the American Jewish community that he was insufficiently committed to
Israel. Mr. Obama told the group that he regarded them as "friends who
share my strong commitment to make sure that the bond between the United
States and Israel is unbreakable today, tomorrow, and forever."

Mr. Obama went on to win an estimated 78 percent of the Jewish vote, a
figure higher than that won four years earlier by Mr. Kerry.

Many of the Aipac attendees are planning to fan out on Capitol Hill on
Tuesday to brace lawmakers with their views. Aipac's spokesman, Josh
Block, said there were 508 appointments at Congressional offices.

The conference's literature is filled with suggestions for lobbying as in
"don't be late" and "be direct" in making your case.

Aipac officials say the key to their success is linking their supporters
across the country with their local elected lawmakers. "Relationships
matter" is a slogan plastered around the convention hall. Aipac does not
make political donations but encourages its members to do so.

Last year, some prominent American Jews, asserting that Aipac's generally
down-the-line support of Israeli policy was neither helpful to Israel nor
wise, founded a counter group called J Street. J Street, which is only a
tiny percentage of the size of Aipac, is vocal about supporting lawmakers
who might disagree with some Israeli policies. Aipac officials have tried
to treat J Street as if it were lint.W



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